China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges Year

Russia and China will be celebrating China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges Year in St Petersburg

On the 28th of March, 2014 an opening ceremony of China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges Year will take place on the new stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. It will be attended by Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong and Olga Golodets, Russian Deputy Prime Minister. The youth event has a purpose to improve cultural contacts between the two countries.

This is not the first Russian-Chinese event aimed at strengthening friendship between the two nationalities in modern times. In 2009-2010 we celebrated the Year of Russian language in China and the Year of Chinese language in Russia. This resulted in Russian-Chinese festivals, language competitions and educational forums. This time the program is supposed to be even more ambitious. To improve business activities between the two countries Second Russia-China Youth Entrepreneurship forum will be held.

Other major events include a Chinese Robotics exhibition, Youth Science International Days, Chinese Film Week, etc. High officials will visit the St Petersburg State University where Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong will give a lecture on how to combine efforts to create a better future for Russian-Chinese friendship. Both Chinese and Russian students will be able to discuss important questions with authorities.

The opening ceremony in the Mariinsky Theatre is going to be grand and festive. Compositions by Shostakovich, Rakhmaninov, He Zhanhao and Chen Gang will be performed by a combined Russian-Chinese orchestra conducted by V. Gergiev. Especially for the opening ceremony a choir composed of Polytechnic university students and Chinese students living in Russia will perform a song in the name of friendship.